A group of East Salinas residents who want to recall Mayor Joe Gunter and support embattled City Councilman Jose Castaneda are hoping that third time's a charm.

Political activist Juvenal Ibarra re-filed a petition to recall Gunter and it was approved and certified by the City Clerk Monday afternoon. Two previous recall petitions filed by Ibarra were rejected because he made procedural paperwork errors.

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An election to recall Gunter could cost Salinas taxpayers half a million dollars, according to city staff. Recall supporters now must gather 7,600 signatures - 15 percent of the city's registered voters - by Oct. 20 to have an election.

The petition states Gunter should be booted because:

"As mayor, you engaged in divisive politics, voter intimidation, disregarded the rule of law, wasted precious tax dollars to advance your political agenda and interests of an egoistic group, failed to address critical issues impacting our daily lives such as crime, violence, jobs, housing, and business opportunities You wasted thousands of dollars to deny District 1 residents their right to equal representation and participation in city governance. Your stubbornness to continue violating Mr. Castaneda's right to fully participate in such government affairs as city commissions has put the residents of District 1 at peril."

Ibarra's petition continues, "We, residents of zip code 93905, are in critical need of strong leadership hence we do not have the luxury to be victimized by your political schemes while our families continue to live in one of the most dense populated areas in the nation, where we must face daily widespread gang violence, extreme poverty, high unemployment rates, substandard and unaffordable housing, and foreclosures. Strong evidence surfaced suggesting councilmembers De La Rosa, Lutes, and Craig and you engaged in serial meetings and other unlawful behavior Your campaign promises to 'work with everyone to build consensus...' were just that, 'promises.'"

Castaneda's fellow city council members, Gunter, and Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Kotowski asked Castaneda to step down from either his City Council post or Alisal Union School Board post because they likely create a conflict of interest. But he refused, and the City Council voted to file a lawsuit against Castaneda. Ibarra filed a recall petition against Gunter hours later.